Destroyed Notre-Dame Cathedral Clock Restoration Boosted By Exciting Find Of Nearly Identical Clock

The 850-year-old Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris, one of the world’s most iconic buildings, was devastated by a fire on April 15, 2019 during renovations, which destroyed much of its roof and spires as well as the cathedral’s nineteenth-century clock. Unfortunately, there were no plans or digital files of the clock. Luckily, though, a nearly identical clock movement was recently discovered and a passionate team is working to use that as a template for (funds permitting) rebuilding a new clock for Notre-Dame.

Why I Bought It: Vintage Mathey-Tissot Type 20 Big Eye Chronograph

This is the story of GaryG’s pursuit, and eventual capture, of a classic vintage watch: a Type 20 “big eye” flyback chronograph manufactured by Mathey-Tissot.

Glashütte Original Limited Edition Flying Tourbillon Honoring Alfred Helwig, The German School Of Watchmaking, And Glashütte’s 175th Anniversary

With the new Alfred Helwig Tourbillon 1920 – Limited Edition, Glashütte Original once again nods to the history of the invention of the flying tourbillon. Featuring an “invisible” example of the flying tourbillon, this timepiece pays tribute to one of the most illustrious figures of Glashütte’s 175-year history. And its seeming simplicity is mesmerizing to author Sabine Zwettler.

Cohiba Espléndido Cubans: For Many, It’s The King Of Cigars

If Cohiba is the king of cigars then the Espléndido is the ultimate Cohiba. Ken Gargett does find a little inconsistency with them – a never-ending issue for Cuban cigars – but if given some age, this tends to resolve itself. What else is remarkable about them?

Our Predictions In The Men’s Category Of The 2020 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG): All 6 Are Potential Winners But Our Panelists Ruthlessly Whittle Them Down

Relatively simple men’s watches are perhaps the most popular watches by sales, and the nominated watches in the 2020 GPHG highlight that this is a vintage year for the genre. So it’s not surprising that our panelists are split three ways in their predictions for the winner. Find out what we think about all of the contenders and how ruthless we were in comparing them here.

Girard-Perregaux Vintage 1945 Infinity: Black Onyx Dial, Steel Case, And Vintage Flair

Girard-Perregaux plays cleverly off the intense blackness of the onyx dial of the Vintage 1945 Infinity by crafting the logo, hour indexes, and second hand in pink gold. To Martin Green’s eye, the combination of the steel case with the pink and white metal hands creates an interesting dynamic that works very well in combination with the Vintage 1945 Infinity’s art deco design.

Jacob & Co Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon: As Exuberant And Fun As The Hypercar It Is Inspired By (Video)

The Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon almost serves the timekeeping function as a side dish: the most eye-catching part of this watch is the sapphire crystal engine block with 16 working “pistons” and a “crankshaft.” It is absolutely mesmerizing to see these little pistons do the same work that their life-size W16 cousins do. Check out this video to see it for yourself!

Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Embrace: Embracing The Complexities Of Love

The Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Embrace features a pair of hearts that mesh with the point of one heart meeting the cleft of the other and moving at constantly differing speeds for an utterly enchanting effect. Joshua Munchow feels that it also offers a perfect horological metaphor for the complexities of love. What do you think?

For The Sake Of Sake: A Primer With Tasting Notes

Basically, sake comprises rice, water, and the fermenting agent called koji, resulting in an alcoholic level that usually sits between 13 and 16 percent. And you might be interested to know that the rice used is different from the standard table rice so popular with Japanese food. Ken Gargett takes a deep dive into what sake is, what types of sake are available, and whether you should drink it warm (like James Bond) or cold. Kampai!

Our Predictions In The Ladies Category Of The 2020 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG): A Sprinkling Of Jewels, A Mismatched Date, And The Ever-Raging Debate On Quartz

The GPHG foundation describes the Ladies category for watches entered as “comprising only the following indications: hours, minutes, seconds, date, power reserve, and/or classic moon phase. These timepieces may be adorned with a maximum of eight carats’ worth of gemstones.” While our panelists aren’t quite unanimous, we do have a clear favorite as a winner here. Read on to find out why.